Bold NFL season predictions, plus USC’s big win
Good morning! Signed, a sad Tiger.
Week 1, Baby: We have already predicted the NFL season
Life has been good. We’ve been awash in college football for days now, a welcome return by America’s favorite sport. But this week, we are moving into a proverbial bigger house in a nicer neighborhood — the NFL returns, and for about 23 straight weeks, football will be on every single weekend.
Glorious. To help prepare for Week 1, I brought in a few of our best NFL minds for help:
Hello, Dianna Russini. I need two surprise teams this year from you: one good, one bad. Go.
Dianna: I came with two of each. The good surprises: Chicago and Tennessee. The Bears are loaded skill-wise and have improved their offensive line. Their defense has some juice, with an elite corner (Jaylon Johnson), good linebackers (T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds) and a full season of Montez Sweat, a very good edge rusher. The Titans are the same way; they loaded up this offseason, especially in patching holes on offense. Both teams depend on young QBs, and both Caleb Williams and Will Levis are talented, Williams more so.
The bad surprises? The Chargers and Bills. L.A. has a bad roster, and if they can’t keep Justin Herbert healthy, they will be terrible. They have some big names on defense, but their offensive skill players are weak. The Bills have lost a lot of guys on both sides of the ball. They don’t have a go-to wide receiver, and their defense, where Matt Milano is on injured reserve again, is not what it used to be.
Hello, longtime NFL QB Chase Daniel. You’ve broken down a ton of QB film this offseason. Which rookie QB not named Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels will impress us most?
Chase: Bo Nix! I think he’s gonna shine in the Sean Payton offense. Vegas only has them at 5 1/2 wins, and I think it’s gonna be more than that.
I want a hot take from both of you. It can be anything about the upcoming season. Scalding, please.
Dianna: Aaron Rodgers will win his fifth MVP. He wants it badly. He has the roster to do it and maybe has a little extra edge this season.
Chase: The Cowboys will finally win a Super Bowl! The time is now in Dallas for not only Dak Prescott, but Mike McCarthy as well. Both lame ducks will end the season on top.
And, finally, hello Mike Jones. What’s a team we aren’t talking about enough right now?
Mike: The Titans. They’re viewed as a rebuilding team, and they do have a young GM, a first-year head coach and a second-year quarterback. But Ran Carthon has worked aggressively to retool this roster, adding key veterans through trades and free agency, and Brian Callahan has a strong coaching staff — including his father Bill, who is one of the best offensive line coaches in the game, if not THE best. The AFC South is a bit muddled. The Titans could wind up competing.
Consider The Pulse doubly in on the Titans. Make sure to read Mike this season, and listen to Dianna and Chase on their excellent new podcast, Scoop City.
News to Know
Gauff out at U.S. Open
For the second straight Grand Slam, Emma Navarro ousted Coco Gauff — this time at the U.S. Open, where Gauff was the defending champion. The 23-year-old Navarro, who was born in New York and has climbed the rankings this year, will play Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals. Gauff, 20, double-faulted 19 times in front of the star-studded crowd as her disappointing summer continued. Meanwhile: Frances Tiafoe is through to the quarters.
Trojans > Tigers
postgame quotes were … illuminatingSalah’s final year?
Plenty more details hereMore news
Service Journalism: Hot dogs are being housed today
I’m sure you already have plans this afternoon, but if not, consider flipping on Netflix to watch two grown men inhale hot dogs in a scary fashion in a short amount of time.
“Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef,” the result of Joey Chestnut’s unfortunate banishment from the Nathan’s contest back on July 4, airs live at 3 p.m. ET on Netflix today. And, ahem, frankly — this might be a better product. Catch up on the backstory here.
Watch and Listen
📺 CFB: Boston College at No. 10 Florida State
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The Seminoles should roll here, but until that becomes a reality, we are on collapse watch. Most experts had FSU tabbed as probable ACC champs and a top-four Playoff seed. If they start 0-2, expect a meltdown.
📺 WNBA: Sky at Aces
10 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Two things to watch here: Las Vegas is mired in a tight race for playoff seeding, while Chicago is simply trying to stay in the postseason picture. Expect a good game.
Get tickets to games like these here.
🎧 The Until Saturday crew talked about which college football fan bases need to hit the panic button after Week 1. Me. It’s me. Listen here.
Pulse Picks
This tickled me: Charlie Eccleshare details how the surprising number of tennis couples navigate what it’s like to date a … colleague? Read it here.
The 49ers paid Brandon Aiyuk and somehow left room to pay Trent Williams and Brock Purdy. David Lombardi explained how.
Our statistical model spit out win projections for all 32 NFL teams. Some of our experts agreed with the numbers.
Michael Salfino has a very fun article about everything wrong with the top 50 NFL fantasy players, aptly titled “Hater’s Ball.”
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our write-up of Clemson’s awful day. Already one of the more compelling narratives of the college football season.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Mike Jones’ 24 most intriguing NFL players for 2024-25.
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(Top photo: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)
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